


And the Award for Outstanding Animated Program Goes To…

by coramatus



Series: Who Framed Roger Rabbit for the Modern Age [1]
Category: Adventure Time, Assorted Adult Cartoons, Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon), Real Person Fiction, Regular Show, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Set in a Who Framed Roger Rabbit-like Universe, i.e. cartoons living alongside people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-09 20:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5553485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coramatus/pseuds/coramatus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's September 12th, 2015 and the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards are in full swing. Wirt wonders why he's even attending.</p><p>In which there is enough meta to choke a horse, a massive crossover nobody asked for, an excessive amount of footnotes, asinine speculation on cartoon lineages, and honest-to-god Real Person Fanfic rolled into one horrible little what-if about the American animation industry as observed by one anxious nerd.</p><p>tl;dr: Over the Garden Wall won an Emmy. I wrote a story about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And the Award for Outstanding Animated Program Goes To…

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to Bearat for editing this monstrosity!

_Oh what is show business but an endless parade of lights and madness?_  
_The players, oh the players, they come and go,_  
_Shining ever so bright under the spotlight, dimming to black as the curtain falls._  
_What becomes of them after their star goes out?_  
_Does it burst forth in a great wave of a supernova, birthing new stars, new worlds, new life?_  
_Or does it collapse on itself into the fathomless, devouring chasm that is a black hole?_  
_And yet no matter the path it takes, there rises the question, to those shining performers,_  
_Is it ever enough?_

 

'…For once, I'm glad I don't have my poetry book on me because wow that was terrible.' 

Wirt squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

He did not like award shows.

They'd never held his attention much to begin with. Even when he was a kid, he'd been restless at the little ones made for his peers. 'Best Penmanship', 'Best at Reading', 'Best Jokes', that sort of thing. His classmates loved those, but little Wirt would rather they just have class like they were supposed to.

Then there were the big leagues.

All pomp and circumstance, these self-congratulatory pageants were filled with nothing but glitz and glam as the entertainment industry patted themselves on their backs. That was the conclusion he'd come to upon witnessing the mess that was the 2014 Oscars.1

Since then, any taste for award shows fizzled out.

Yet here he was, sitting in the audience of one of the biggest American award shows, waiting to see if he'd be declared one of the awardees that night. Heck, he'd actually spent time getting ready for it. He was dressed in a nice, well-fitting suit with a matching tie and everything! He'd even attempted to tame his unruly hair into some semblance of order.

What on earth was he even doing here?

Oh, right.

 _Over the Garden Wall_ had been nominated for an Emmy.

And he was one of the main characters.

It hadn't even been a year since their animated mini-series had premiered back in the beginning of November 2014. Somehow it still had enough traction to win them all sorts of praise.

Praise that apparently extended to the people who made award shows.

This had to be the second most uncomfortable day of his life. Or was it third? No, definitely the second. Almost nothing else came close to his personal first place.2

As if reading his thoughts, a tiny finger poked Wirt in his side. He glanced to his right to find Greg smiling up at him. Like his older brother, Greg was dressed to the nines, boasting a proud child-sized suit and tie. In Greg's lap, Jason Funderburker the frog smiled enigmatically up at him, casually wearing Sara's tiny black top hat and a black silk bow-tie. With his hair slicked back to a shine, Greg looked at home in the crowded theater.

"C'mon, Wirt!" his little brother grinned, "It's getting close to our turn! I bet we're gonna win one of those pretty gold atom lady statues. That'll really impress everyone back home. Like Sara!"

Greg said this with such solid certainty that Wirt almost felt bad breaking the reality to him.

"Greg, we only got nominated," Wirt pointed out. "A nomination really doesn't mean all that much. Nobody remembers the nominees after the award is given out."

"Not unless we win!" a small voice cut in. "Then no way is anyone going to forget us."

Wirt looked up at the female bluebird perched at the top of Greg's seat, giving him a proud, little birdie smile. Like the boys, Beatrice was impeccably well-groomed that night, her feathers sleekly preened to a shine and sporting a small, sparkling blue bow around her neck. Unlike the boys, she opted to go in bird form knowing people might say something about "spoilers" if she were her normal, person-shaped self.

Wirt scoffed at her, "Like that's going to happen."

Beatrice rewarded him with a feathery flick of her wing to his face.

"What are you being such a wet blanket for? You're acting like this is all hopeless," she tsked, as Wirt rubbed where her feathers brushed him. "Didn't you have enough of that at the end of the series?"

"Beatrice, this is a completely different situation," Wirt retorted. "Despair from dying and despair from not winning an award are two completely different things. They don't even compare."

The bluebird spread out her wings. "Exactly! So can't you hold out just a little hope that we'll win this time? I mean, look at it this way: it takes way more energy to hope you’ll live than hope you’ll win something. It’s practically nothing."

"Yeah! That kind of hope is easy, Wirt!" Greg chimed in. "I'm always hoping I'll win something, someday, somehow," he said dreamily.

Wirt frowned.

"What if you don't?"

"Then I'll just keep hoping it happens later!" his brother beamed, "And if it doesn't, that's OK too. I've got people who still love me. Like you guys!"

"You know, Greg and Beatrice have the right idea," a dark-haired man quietly cut in from Greg's other side. "This is pretty exciting! There's no harm in getting hyped up and having some fun."

Wirt slumped in his seat almost petulantly.

"Yeah, I know that, Pat," he responded. As he continued, his voice grew quieter, more introspective, "But if I do, then the inevitable disappointment is just going to be all the more crushing, like so many hopes and dreams of unrecognized artistry."

"Pfft… Drama queen," Beatrice scoffed.

On his part, Patrick McHale couldn't help his laugh at Beatrice's comment. As the creator of _Over the Garden Wall_ , Pat would of course be in attendance. Seated all the way down the row were the rest of the creative team that brought Wirt and Greg and their entire adventure to life. All of them were nicely dressed up and quietly talking amongst themselves about the awards, projects they were working on, or just how life was going for them. Mr. Cross in particular looked quite excited.

Wirt was roused out of his glum spot when Pat gently shook his shoulder with a wry smile.

"Really, Wirt, you're acting like we didn't put our all into making the series," the man teased.

At this, Wirt's face flushed red and he quickly tried to backtrack, "What? No, no, I don't think that!" He paused and thought for a moment, before continuing in a softer voice, "OK maybe a little sometimes." He then caught himself and looked up startled, shaking his hands wildly, "But only my part! You and everyone else did great! Amazing, really! I'm just…" his voice faded back to its normal soft tone as he trailed off, sighing. "I'm not sure if our series is all that award-worthy, Pat."

Pat took a moment to study Wirt's posture before sighing in understanding. He seemed to have an idea of where all this doubt was coming from.

"Hey, relax Wirt," he said reassuringly. "This won't be a repeat of the Annies."

The one time Wirt allowed himself to get invested in any award, it had been the Annie Awards. Cartoons anticipated them the most, right after the animators themselves. He'd taken their loss a bit hard, particularly since that was their only shot at the top tier of animation awards. Because _Over the Garden Wall_ was a mini-series, they'd never have a second chance at it, unlike their multi-seasoned brethren. Worse still, was that they were the first of their kind in the American animation industry, leaving them without anyone else to look up to for support.

Thankfully, the cast and crew were more than happy to keep their spirits up, despite not taking home the award that night. Something Pat had a few months of practice at now.

"Even if we don't get anything this time around, we've still got our fans," Pat reminded Wirt. "They won't leave us out in the dust."

Wirt sighed and looked down at his shoes, feeling a bit guilty that he was forgetting about what he already had.

"Yeah," he said, "Yeah, you're right."

He might have fallen into another brooding session if another poke in his side didn't force him to look back up. He met Greg's large eyes and found the boy's brow furrowed in thought.

"You don't think my performance was award-worthy?" his little brother asked plaintively.

Wirt blinked, a little surprised Greg would take it that way. He hoped his negativity wasn't catching on to the cinnamon roll of a child.

"Your performances are always award-worthy, Greg," he said, warmth in his voice.

Greg tucked his face into his hands, blushing bashfully.

"Aw shucks, brother o' mine," he giggled. Wirt smiled back.

"You guys are adorable when you're being sappy," Beatrice cooed above their heads.

Wirt turned to scowl at her. He opened his mouth to shoot her a sharp comeback, but was interrupted.

"Yup!" Greg said, turning around to face her with a bright grin, his arms raised in the air. "We're the cutest! Isn't that right, Wirt?"

"Huh?" Wirt sounded, a bit caught off guard. But he regained his footing quickly and nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, Greg's totally right on that one. You can't out-cute us even at when you're at your fluffiest."

"Ooh," Beatrice said with mock reverence, though Wirt could see the little sparkle in her eyes that told him she was just playing. "That's some pretty intense cute if it's cuter than my poofy bird mode."

To illustrate, Beatrice took a deep breath and held her beak shut, imitating a balloon as she fluffed herself up into a little blue orb of feathers. Pointedly looking between herself and the brothers, she straightened herself out with a rustle, sighing regretfully. "It's true," she mournfully told them, wings braced in the classic fainting pose, "I can't out-cute you two. You're just too adorable!"

Her small audience burst into giggles as she theatrically flopped onto her back, defeated.

"That's OK, Beatrice," Greg consoled her, "I still think you're super cute!"

Beatrice immediately hopped back upright. "Aww, really? Thanks, Greg!"

Wirt shook his head with an amused grin, chuckling at their antics. It was nice being closer to Greg. Life felt more fun.

Now with the series behind them, Wirt found it much easier to engage in casual banter, particularly with this brother. For a while, Wirt hadn't been much different from how he was at the beginning of the series. He was often reluctant to be around Greg, dumping him off on someone else the moment he could. Then the mini-series was greenlit and Wirt gradually found his attitude towards his brother changing as they worked to complete each chapter. By the time the series premiered, he was willing to be the older brother Greg needed him to be.

Since then, the two would often be found together, Wirt patiently engaging in Greg's antics. As a whole, their bond proved to have an overall positive effect on Wirt, making it easier for him to reach out on his own and make friends.

It was then that his pocket let out two short buzzes. Straightening himself out a bit, Wirt dug into it to pull out his phone. Someone sent him a message. He tapped the screen and was immediately rewarded with a goofy picture of Dipper, Mabel and Uncle Alex making faces at him, with a message underneath:

_**almost ur turn buddy! get ready 2 smile!!  ;PPPP XDDDDD ;333 <3<3<3** _

Just above his ear, he could hear Beatrice's snort.

"Nice," she laughed.

Wirt glanced up to the next section over to find the culprits waving wildly at him. Upon gaining Wirt's attention, Dipper proceeded to give him two thumbs up, Mabel cheekily pointing at her wide metallic grin as she acted out a smile, and Uncle Alex gesturing at him to pass his phone to Pat.

Wirt smiled weakly and waved back before reaching over Greg's head to pass along the phone to his creator, who looked bemused that his friend didn't just text him on his own phone.

Greg only then noticed the small commotion and eagerly stood up in this chair to wave at Dipper and Mabel, who just as eagerly waved back. Wirt exchanged a glance with Beatrice, who just shrugged.

It was always good to see his cousins,3 but it was almost surreal to find themselves across the aisle from each other during a major award show again. Thankfully, they weren't competing against each other this time.

The last time they had, it was the Annies, back in February.

Wirt had feared what kind of strain _Gravity Falls_ winning the award would bring. He'd heard of friendships between cartoons unravelling because of these sorts of things. All kinds of bitter rivalries sprang up simply because only one of them was allowed to win. The four of them had only been friends for a few months at that point. Older friendships were shattered over less.

It turned out that he didn't have to worry at all. At the end of the show, Dipper and Mabel pounced on him and Greg, excited to have won, but not without a few choice words on who they thought deserved it more.

"Man, you guys got robbed!" he remembered Mabel proclaiming.

"If it were up to me, this would have your show's name on it," Dipper added, showing them the trophy. Mabel then took the golden zoetrope and passed it off to a nearby crew member.

"You know what? Forget those guys!" she gestured dismissively. "We're gonna give you an even better trophy!"

True to their word, a few days later, the twins sent them a gift in the form of a rainbow glittered statue shaped like Uncle Alex making some kind of silly Superman pose, with the base bearing their series's name for Best Cartoon Ever. Mabel informed him that they won the Alexies, based on some silly tweets their creators sent to each other in the aftermath of the awards.4

Since then, their friendship had only gotten even stronger, with both sides happily supporting the other in both the best and worst of times.

Uncle Alex, on the other hand, had a more unique approach in sharing his opinion. During the after-party, Wirt wouldn't forget the way a very drunk Uncle Alex hefted both him and Greg up onto his shoulders and loudly declared that THEY really deserved the award.

Pat had a bit of a hard time getting Alex to put them back down after that.

As things stood now, _Gravity Falls_ wasn't in the running for any particular Emmy this year. One of their crew members was up for an individual achievement award and the others were there to show their support. Wirt was fairly certain that Mr. Ramos would get the award, considering how phenomenal the episode he storyboarded had turned out.

Wirt was drawn out of his thoughts when Pat poked him with the end of his phone.

"Those guys need a proper response, don't you think?" Pat grinned.

Greg looked between them, puzzled.

"A response for what?" he asked.

"Silly face selfie!" Beatrice told him.

With that, their little group crowded together, making the goofiest faces they could. After a quick camera shutter sound, Pat sent their photo off to their friends, bearing a message:

_**We will! Thx u guys! ;)** _

Once the picture was sent, Pat returned Wirt's phone to him before leaning in to address all of them.

"If I remember right, it should be getting close to our category," Pat informed his creations. "They told me it'd be around the halfway point and it's already been about an hour and a half."

"I knew it!" Greg exclaimed proudly.

Beatrice sighed in exasperation. "Feels like it's been an hour and half," she grumbled, fluffing her feathers and doing an avian stretch of her wings and legs.

"We don't have to stay the whole show if you don't want to," the man reminded her. In fact, a number of the other awardees had already left and the theater was looking a little less full than it had at the beginning.

The bluebird gave a final ruffle of her feathers. "Yeah, let's not. I can only take so many clip shows with no context and long thank you speeches," Beatrice said flippantly. She gestured to herself with a sweep of her wing, "I'm here for us and our family and that's it."

"Aw, Beatrice. You really do care about us," Wirt said with a hint of cloying sweetness.

"Save it. The awards are gonna be about boring live-action stuff again once the animated parts are done," the bird retorted, glaring. "I mean who're we gonna root for if we hang around? Once our cousins are gone, there's no one!"

She brought up a good point.

Dipper, Mabel and Uncle Alex weren't the only members of their family there. Several of his cousins, and incidentally his channel mates, were in attendance too.

He could see Steven was engrossed in the proceedings while the Crystal Gems were looking a bit bored. In front of them, Finn and Jake were laughing about something. Two rows over, Mordecai and Rigby looked like they were busy playing video games against each other. Sitting by them were their creators and a number of their cast and crew. All three of them were in the running for best short animated program, alongside _Wander Over Yonder_ and one of Mickey Mouse's recent shorts.

As if he were psychic, Steven chose that moment to turn around and caught Wirt looking at him. Before Wirt had the chance to do so much as blush, Steven broke out into a huge smile and waved at him. At his side, all three Gems turned to see who their protégé was waving at. Seeing Wirt, they each gave him their own greetings: Garnet a casual wave, Pearl a dignified wave and a smile, Amethyst with a loud laugh and great flapping of her arms. This caught Aunt Rebecca's attention, who turned around curiously to see what her creations were looking at. Finding their little contingent, her face lit up and she gave her own small wave.

While Pat and Greg waved in return, Wirt offered a small smile. He pulled out his phone to send Steven a quick text:

_**Good luck, Steven! - Wirt** _

While waiting for Steven's response, he sent the others a quick good luck message as well. It only felt right. Once he sent off the last one, Steven had a response for him:

An indecipherable mess of emojis and colorful icons.

Wirt scratched his head in confusion. But he could understand the thanks behind it if he was interpreting the many smiley faces right.

In the time it took for Wirt to take in the mosaic of icons, the others got back him too:

 _ **u 2 buddy!!!!!**_ | (• ◡•)| (❍ᴥ❍ʋ)

_**M &R say thanks. Good luck to you too, kiddo. - JG** _

The last one puzzled Wirt a little. When he looked up to find Uncle JG, he spotted the man nursing a red mark on his face. He caught his eyes and his uncle shook his head and shrugged.

Wirt tilted his head, not really understanding.

Uncle JG then gestured to the cartoon blue jay and raccoon sitting by him, still engrossed in whatever game it was they were playing. He mimed out Rigby throwing his phone over his shoulder at him. Apparently they were too into their game to answer Wirt's text or bother aiming somewhere that wasn't their creator's face.

Wirt winced in sympathy as he nodded.

But his uncle just shrugged again before throwing him a thumbs up which Wirt returned.

As they turned back to observe the stage, Wirt realized he really did wish the three of them the best of luck. He felt a little awful for it, but he was glad he wasn't in their shoes. He couldn't imagine being up against the likes of Mickey Mouse of all cartoons!

And then there was the matter of their own competition…

Wirt swallowed nervously thinking about them.

Just who in their right mind put them up against adult shows?!

How was their little mini-series competing against such giants like _The Simpsons_ , _South Park_ , _Bob's Burgers_ , and _Archer_???

All of them were critically acclaimed. All of them were award-winners. All of them earned nominations stretching back at least a few years. Two of them had been airing for literal decades with no end in sight. The other two were considered some of the best shows in the adult bracket.

Holy crap, they were out of their league.

As far as the older cartoons went, they didn't betray the slightest hint of nervousness. They seemed at ease in the theatre, as if this were just another routine. Considering their long running histories, it probably was. Wirt supposed if this was a much narrower playing field, things wouldn't be so calm. But from his observations, they didn't seem to care much about their presence.

Generally, they had regarded them with mild interest, as if they were just an odd novelty. Aside from one person, the kids didn't seem to give them much thought, preferring instead to play pissing contest with each other like the old rivals they were. The adults were at least polite, if a bit patronizing. Interestingly, he thought he saw a hint of approval in their gazes. It probably had to do with some of the relieved mutters he overheard between them, about not having to deal with any of MacFarlane's lot this time. Otherwise, they hadn't interacted much.

To be honest, Wirt was perfectly fine with that setup: ignore and be ignored. Simple.

If only it weren't for that one person…

A distinct chill ran down his spine and Wirt suppressed a shudder, knowing exactly what it meant. As discreetly as he could, Wirt glanced to his side, hoping his tormentor had lost interest in him.

Tina Belcher was still eyeing him with disturbing intensity.

Wirt quickly looked away, reaffirming his decision to avoid eye contact with her for the rest of the night.

He'd already had an unfortunate encounter with the girl out in the lobby while they waited to enter the theater. It was crowded and he had been talking to Greg and Beatrice when someone brushed by him. He wouldn't have paid much attention to it if it weren't for the sudden sharp squeeze at his rear that sent him several feet in the air, yelping in surprise. Upon whirling around to find the cause, he spotted Tina not far from him, casually slinking away.

If her wink was anything to go by, Tina Belcher had most definitely pinched his butt.

Greg thought it was funny just how tomato-red he went after that.

Wirt felt his cheeks heating up again just thinking about it. Sara would probably get a good laugh out of it once he told her. At least, he thought she would. Would she?

A sudden scuffle in the row in front of him drew Wirt out of his embarrassment spiral and he glanced up in time to find two of the _South Park_ characters squabbling with each other, their forms jittering in their characteristic animation style.

"Quit being such a goddamned prick, you fat piece of shit!" the green-hatted one hissed furiously.

"But Kyle," the other shockingly obese cartoon whined, "Just this once! I never get to make the baby cartoons cry! I wanna make the baby cry!"

Considering how he was angled and the paper wad loaded straw in his hand, it wasn't hard for Wirt to put the pieces together and know he was talking about Greg.

He shifted over his brother protectively, mustering his best disapproving frown. Beside him, Pat and Beatrice got into position, ready to move in case this turned out to be a three-person job.5

Before the situation could get any worse, the _South Park_ creators thankfully caught on.

"Cut that out!" one of the men whispered sharply. As he said this, he yanked on a strap and the large one was sent to the ground with a squeal.

The man turned around, looking apologetic, "Sorry, they're always like this."

"It's alright," Pat said, his guard lowering now that the threat was over. He thought for a moment before uncertainly asking, "Are you keeping Cartman on a leash?"

"Yeah!" he (Trey Parker? Matt Stone? Wirt had no idea who was who) replied with a grin. He held up the strap, dangling a put upon Cartman into the air. He was tightly bound in a child's harness. "Best investment we ever made!"

"Nice!" Pat laughed.

Wirt watched as the creator plopped the fat cartoon back on the ground, the green-hatted one (Kyle?) snickering gleefully at him.

So _that_ was the infamous Cartman.6

Before Wirt could think about what a close call that was, angry muttering had him looking down.

"Oh my god, you guys. You're making us look like a bunch of assholes," one of the other _South Park_ characters whisper-groaned. He was the one with the red pompom beanie. He pinched the bridge of his nose(?), looking like he was fighting off a headache.

"Too late for that, Stan," the possibly-named Kyle snorted in exasperation as he settled back into his seat.

Stan grumbled again, knocking the back of his skull against the chair a few times in frustration before leaning his head back to scowl at the ceiling. That was how he spotted Wirt looking at him curiously.

On Wirt's end, he felt a nervous jolt at being caught staring at a stranger. But the cartoon didn't seem to mind and turned fully to address him.

"Don't worry," Stan reassured him. "Matt and Trey have that fatass figured out. They're good at keeping Cartman from pulling too much shit. With all the stupid things we keep getting nominated for, they kind of have to."

"O-oh! Uh… Thanks!" Wirt replied anxiously. He didn't talk to that many cartoons outside his network and it always made him nervous when he did. Granted, he talked to Mabel and Dipper just fine, though he saw them as family rather than network rivals. Though something Stan said caught his attention. "Wait, what kind of stupid nominations do you get?" he asked.

"Ugh, too many," Stan scoffed, rolling his eyes at the mere thought of them. "We've won this one a couple times, but Matt and Trey don't really care. Hell, they once shoved the trophy into a pile of poop."

Wirt blinked, not entirely sure how to respond to that last part.

But if he remembered right, _South Park_ had taken the Emmy home about four or five times now. That meant that the voters were familiar with them. It meant that what they were already familiar with was far more likely to beat anything new. That was how Disney and Pixar kept taking the Oscars after all. Simply because the vile judges refused to bother with seeing all the entries out of pure snobbery.

"Well," Wirt began hesitantly, "That probably means you guys'll get it again."

"No way, dude!" Stan exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief. His aggravation at the proceedings disappeared in favor of a weird supportiveness, "Your show was spooky as shit. If you guys don't get this, then the voters are fucking idiots."

While Wirt wouldn't have complimented anyone quite like that, it was still a compliment. He thought it strangely touching that a stranger, a competitor no less, was on his side. Just one that kind of baffled him.

"Thanks?" he said uncertainly, "I think."

Small hands excitedly batted at Wirt's arm, breaking out of his confusion. He turned to find Greg practically bouncing in his seat, a wide grin just adding to his giddy look.

"Wirt! They said they're doing short cartoons now!" Greg told him. "We're probably gonna be next!"

"O-oh! Thanks, Greg," Wirt said, smiling at his brother's excitement. He was about to say something else when he remembered he wasn't finished speaking to someone. He turned back to Stan with a grateful smile, actually meaning it when he said, "It was good talking to you."

The smaller cartoon nodded easily, "Same. You got this in the bag, man."

Stan turned back to watch the stage and Wirt did so too, though he had an odd feeling he might have just made a new friend.

He was a little surprised to find Neil DeGrasse Tyson speaking at the podium. Wirt's mind jumped to the idea that they were doing the documentary categories now. Then he remembered the introduction that the hairstyling announcers gave. People were apparently paired up to categories with no rhyme or reason. And this was remarkable, because the announcers were esteemed voice actors.

Aside from that there were only a few other things he could recall from the previous hour, like the guy who walked onstage in a burger costume and crown. That had been weird.

Just as Greg told him, the overhead announcer began to read out the nominees for Short Form Animation and their chosen episodes. The stage's massive built-in screens played the corresponding clips on a backdrop of bright red that reflected off everything. It didn't take long for the nominees to get listed and when the focus returned to the podium, Wirt leaned forwards, interested as Mr. Tyson straightened up to announce the winner.

"And the winner is…" Mr. Tyson said as he flipped open the envelope, " _Adventure Time_!"

The _Adventure Time_ theme song began to play overhead, nearly drowned out by the clamor of applause as the crew hurriedly got up and shuffled along the seats. Jake on the other hand simply stretched out his legs to tiptoe around everyone, Finn holding on as they made it to the aisle first. Once in the clear, the two of them took off charging down to the stage, laughing wildly as they went.

Wirt joined in with the clapping, genuinely happy for them. This was the first time they'd taken an Emmy home after being nominated for five years straight. He wasn't the only one either as the cast and crew of both _Steven Universe_ and _Regular Show_ cheered them on. Steven was enthusiastically standing up in his chair, cheering as loudly as he could. Mordecai and Rigby were hooting, pounding the air rhythmically with their fists.

"Yay Finn! Yay Jake!!" Greg shouted his own encouragement.

Once they reached the stage, Finn and Jake skidded to a stop before the podium. Finn bounced from one foot to the other with his gap-toothed smile as a calmer, but no less excited, Jake accepted the trophy from Mr. Tyson. Since the chosen episode had been a Jake-centric one, they'd apparently agreed ahead of time that Jake should be the one to hold it. Both of their eyes widened with a sparkle as they marveled at the little statue.

With the rest of the crew joining them onstage with a flurry of hugs and congratulations, Finn and Jake both excitedly held out the trophy for them to see as well. They only looked away from it when one of the crew took to the podium, since Uncle Penn wasn't there to do it himself. While the acceptance speech was given, Jake gave Finn a nudge and a wink. Finn comically stuck out his tongue and flopped on the ground by Jake's paws, spread out in a melodramatic faint. The dog then lifted the trophy up into the air in a clear reenactment of the title card.

Wirt gave a short laugh at the ridiculous scene. He could hear Greg and part of the audience laughing as well.

Once the thank you speech was done, the stagehands began to guide the assembled group offstage. Jake and Finn turned to go with them, but Finn stopped short and quickly scampered back to the microphone.

"THANKS EVERYBODY!!" Finn shouted into the device.

With that, he rejoined the others, followed out by another loud round of applause and cheers.

As Wirt watched them get herded backstage, likely for interviews and whatnot, it occurred to him that Mr. Tyson was now reading out the next award category.

He wondered if it was going to be theirs since it only felt natural to put the long and short animations together. He could be wrong though since the order of overarching categories didn't make that much sense to him. Actually, most entertainment awards didn't, since they believed shoving in a tiny section for animation would somehow cover the breadth of work that cartoons did. It was hardly fair.

Wirt frowned as he realized he'd zoned out for a moment. What were they listing now? Did they do Outstanding Animated Programs yet?

He looked back at the stage screens listing out the names of people involved in the nominees.

Oh hey, there was Pat's name.

Wait.

They _**were**_ reading the nominees for Outstanding Animated Programs.

Wirt quickly glanced up to catch a brief clip of himself scrambling away from the oily, bug-eyed Beast dog that had been after them in the first chapter.

He felt the blood drain from his face.

'Oh my gosh, this is it.'

Distantly, he heard the other nominees being listed out, but that was no more than distant static.

It was their turn.

_It was their turn._

Wirt suddenly felt sick, even as his heart rate kicked up a notch. He wasn't ready for this. He was never ready for things like this.

Oh no, this was going to be the Annies all over again.

He'd tried so hard not to expect anything, he knew they were facing stiff competition. But inevitably a little scrap of hope would come sneaking its way in. And like an idiot, he'd let it stay and held onto it in those few seconds before the winner was announced, daring to hope that his hard work would be recognized. Only to see it crushed when the name called out was not one of his own, but of another entity entirely. And once more, the possibility of recognition crumbled to dust, blown away by gusts of indifference and dismissiveness. Nevermore to find some hint of proof that they were of any importance to the world at all.

In the corner of his vision, Wirt noticed Pat's eyes go wide, the man briefly flailing in panic before scrambling up and scampering down the aisle. He could see the other crew members starting to get up too and he thought it strange they were doing so.

Things started to go fuzzy in his vision. He couldn't feel his legs anymore. Was he still breathing? He couldn't remember.

"WIRT!"

Wait- who was-?

"C'MON WIRT!!"

Wirt's eyes shot up to find Dipper frantically waving at him. What was he-?

"WIRT! GO UP!"

Suddenly, Mabel, Steven, Mordecai and Rigby joined in, their voices clamoring over the applause (applause? why was everyone applauding?).

"YOU GOT THIS, DUDES!"

Where was he supposed to be going?

Something tugged at Wirt's sleeve.

Absently, he looked over to find Greg standing by his seat, staring back at him expectantly with frog Jason Funderburker tucked under one arm.

"C'mon, it's our turn!" Greg excitedly shouted over the din of clapping hands. He reached out, gently tugging at Wirt's hand to get him to move.

At his brother's touch, some of Wirt's senses came back to him. It wasn't much, but Greg's hand was a grounding force and he was able to get up with only minor stumbling. Another light tug had him trailing the small boy out the row and down the aisle.

As he moved, Wirt took a moment to look around. It hit him then just how many people surrounded them. He grew faint.

Before his brain considered shutting down on him, a flutter and the sharp pinch of tiny claws in his shoulder told him that Beatrice had hitched a ride. He heard her say something and he nodded, despite her words being drowned out by the pounding heartbeat in his ears. Cold sweat beaded on his skin.

'OK, OK, this is a thing that is happening. I can do this,' Wirt thought to himself, 'I think.'

Even with Greg confidently pulling him along, it took all of Wirt's concentration just to keep up with his brother. He couldn't be sure he was actually moving his legs right. They felt too wobbly. Putting one foot in front of the other proved even more difficult as his vision had narrowed until he could only focus on the space Greg occupied.

But it meant Greg was there.

Greg was with him.

He could do this.

They followed a long strip of ugly green carpet. It felt like forever before the carpet ended at a small flight of steps that took them up onto the polished expanse of a stage. Greg led him up to the minimal podium, where Pat was already nervously fumbling at his pockets for a scrap of paper while awkwardly mumbling into the microphone. As the rest of the crew joined them, Wirt felt Greg insistently tug at the end of his suit jacket and he automatically lifted his brother and their frog up into his arms.

Now that they were eye-level, Greg examined his brother's face and his lips pursed into a puzzled frown, as if realizing Wirt wasn't entirely there. His small arm wrapped around the back of his brother's neck, squeezing him in a one-armed hug of reassurance. It wasn't enough to snap Wirt out of it, but he did appreciate the effort.

Next to him, Pat started a speech, voice cracking in a way that was undeniable proof he'd based a lot of Wirt off himself. There was a lot of breathless 'thank you's and nervous laughs as he listed off people and groups they'd worked with. He wasn't sure where Pat was going with this, but then again, he was too preoccupied by the sea of an audience, with so many different faces watching their every move.

Wirt wasn't sure how much longer he could tolerate this. He could feel his legs shaking, his breath unsteady, and most notable of them all was how disconnected to everything he felt.

Perhaps his brain was finally shorting out like it was supposed to a long time ago.

Something carefully nudged his arm and Wirt turned to find Pat holding out a golden statuette to him. It was a polished looking thing, with graceful lines and a striking design: an electric winged angel holding up the great concentric rings of an atom.

'Shiny,' he concluded.

Wirt wasn't sure what Pat was doing until Greg leaned over to accept the trophy from their creator's hands.

With the award now front and center in this frame of vision, he could see just how large it was. The base itself was practically the size of frog Jason Funderburker, who croaked in complaint when Greg almost set it on him. Wirt lent a hand, holding up the trophy by its legs and thought it was interesting that the central figure stood on a convex surface, marked like the longitude and latitude lines on a globe. It sparkled from the countless stage lights beaming down on them, making the golden surface look an even deeper gold. An inscription on the base finally grabbed his attention and he found it bore their series name on it.

It finally hit him just what was going on.

They'd won.

They actually… _won_.

The realization brought a cresting surge of panic, followed by a disbelieving crash, then mellowing out to confusion, before finally pulling back to reveal a small but growing sense of accomplishment.

"Oh wait, um, y-you guys want to say anything?" he distantly heard Pat ask, pausing in his thank yous.

Wirt wasn't sure if he was even capable of speaking. Not when he was certain he was barely functioning at all. Fortunately, Greg had that taken care of.

"Thank you!" he said cheerfully, leaning into the microphone.

With that, Greg settled back in Wirt's arms to give the trophy a quick kiss. Wirt laughed, partly at Greg's smooch, but partly in a confused, anxious, yet happy burst of relief that began to lift the haze over his mind.

They'd won!

They were actually recognized for their work! Their strange, spooky little mini-series was recognized for the piece of art it really was! He could scarcely believe it!

He wouldn't even have noticed the _Spongebob Squarepants_ theme song playing them off stage for taking too long if it weren't for Greg's delighted clapping and Pat's last nervous rush of words.

With Pat's hand at his shoulder gently guiding him, Wirt, still carrying Greg, Beatrice and frog Jason Funderburker, was led backstage with the rest of the crew. There, he found the other awardees being interviewed, everyone looking more relaxed now that the waiting was over with. He spotted Finn and Jake off to the side, wildly gesticulating to an interviewer.

A sudden squirming in his arms had Wirt looking down at Greg, who seemed to be done with being carried. Wirt obliged his brother and leaned down, letting Greg run off with the trophy and frog still in his hands, Beatrice following closely as she took to the air after him.

"Finn! Jake!" Greg shouted excitedly, making his way over to the two "Look! We got one too!!"

They gasped in awe, offering their own enthusiastic congratulations before marveling over Greg's trophy. As they listened to the little boy's excited recounting of events, Wirt felt a hand at his shoulder again. He turned around to find Pat at his side, looking concerned.

"You OK?" he asked. "You're crying."

Wirt blinked.

"I am?" he asked blankly.

Wirt wiped his face with the back of his hand and was surprised to find it coming back wet. He stared at his dampened hand for a moment before laughing.

"Oh," he said, "I guess I am."

With a frazzled grin, Pat fished out the kerchief of his suit and handed it to Wirt. The boy gratefully took a moment to dry off his tears and regain a little of his composure. He sniffed noisily and handed the cloth back to its owner.

"Thanks," Wirt said sheepishly.

He'd just been expecting a 'you're welcome' in return, but he stiffened in shock when his creator suddenly embraced him. Though it took him a moment to regain his bearings, Wirt fiercely returned the hug. Pat held him in a tight squeeze before standing back, hands resting on Wirt's shoulders as he beamed at his creation with pride.

"Good job, Wirt," Pat congratulated him, eyes shining with his own unshed tears. "I'm so proud of you."

With that, he patted Wirt on the back before making his way over to his wife and son, who were waiting excitedly for him.

As Wirt watched Pat take a wriggling Sam from Jiwook, a small hand grasping his own drew him back to reality. He looked down to find Greg, still holding the trophy, smiling up at him curiously.

"Did we do good?" Greg asked.

Wirt laughed brightly and wrapped up Greg in a great big hug.

"Yeah. We did good."

* * *

For several days afterwards, pictures of Wirt's absolutely flummoxed look on stage circulated around the cartoon side of the internet, occasionally captioned with silly phrases.

But for once, Wirt didn’t particularly mind.

* * *

1 Quite literally a mess. In solidarity with their fellow Warner Brothers backed project, a number of Cartoon Network cartoons joined that year's Oscar watching party just to boo and pelt the screen with popcorn and candy because _The Lego Movie _wasn't even among the list of nominees.__

2 Nothing would ever beat the day 'Tome of the Unknown' was first shown to the Cartoon Network executives. Pat had been nervous. Which meant Wirt was nervous. Which then meant Wirt was nauseous. He was ready to eat his own hat in sheer anxiety in the moments before their miniseries was greenlit.

3 Familial relations between cartoons ran much stranger than in human families. While a character could claim family members from their in-universe canon, they usually had an additional number of creative and spiritual siblings. Since animation was always a massive collaborative effort, family lines tended to zigzag and loop around into strange shapes based on which crew members were on board with any particular project. The term 'creator' carried the most weight, meaning something of a mix between a boss, a parent and God to their creations. Generally, whoever had the most creative control tended to carry the title. But any cartoon could run up to several different creators depending on how much work was delegated where. Cartoons called the creators who worked closely with their own their aunts and uncles, while cousins was reserved for the creations those other creators produced. Brother and sister were specifically reserved for other shows headed by the same creator. Oddly enough, 'parent' was rarely used creatively, except in referring to a cartoon's in-universe parents.  
  
For example, Wirt and Greg are canonical half-brothers. This is an indisputable fact. But both are creative cousins to Dipper and Mabel Pines through _The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack_ , since both Pat and Uncle Alex were major creative directors in that show's run. Similarly, the two brothers could also call Steven Universe their cousin via the work Pat and Aunt Rebecca had done together on _Adventure Time_. At the moment the brothers could only claim one sister project with _Blackford Manor_ , which had only seen a pilot short so far. Wirt hoped they'd be seeing more traction soon, because he rather liked Josette and wanted her to do well too.

4 [This really happened.](https://twitter.com/Patrick_McHale/status/561874261150019584)

5 Wirt, Beatrice and Pat unanimously decided it'd be best to keep Greg between the three of them, shielding the little boy from anything inappropriate that might come up during the show. Pat already had to cover Greg's ears a few times to keep him from hearing a few crude routines, while Wirt and Beatrice were both masters at blocking out anything naked.

6 Cartman had such a terrible reputation, most cartoons were warned to stay as far from him as possible. In fact, Disney, Nickelodeon AND Cartoon Network all had an unspoken ban on him from ever entering their premises. The ban was silent only because if it was publicly known, the ornery cartoon would then see it as a reason to go harass them.


End file.
